Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

80 reviews

leahb88's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I mean the three Hugo awards speak for themselves… the world building was incredible and for a high fantasy it wasn’t super confusing trying to figure out what was happening. I loved all the characters and different perspectives. Having a perspective from a child definitely helped me learn what was going on. This was my first time reading from 2nd person perspective and it was done SO well. So many heartbreaking, sometimes horrifying moments throughout. The plot twist?! So good. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Slavery, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

abmochapman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

incredible world-building and characterization

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Misogyny, Bullying, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cannibalism and Slavery

1nky's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism

aprilincognito's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Torture, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Cannibalism

avacadosocks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

drips's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

so good

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Child death, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Sexism, Rape, Genocide, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Hate crime, Grief, Death, Cursing, Colonisation, and Sexual content

ecramer44's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was a difficult book to read. With the second person POV and the some of the content. But it was still amazing, it’s a beautifully crafted book and the twists and turns were wild. There were some instances where the characters would realize something and then not talk about it at all which was rough but it was beautiful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Slavery, and Grief

sarasreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First book of the year and it's 5 stars right out of the gate! I'm really surprised. I knew it was going to be good, but I wasn't expecting to give it 5 stars. Here we are though! I gasped out loud several times while reading. The world building is amazing, the POV shifts are so interesting, and the plot just builds and builds. I can't wait to read the next one!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault

onthesamepage's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

When we say "the world has ended," it's usually a lie, because the planet is just fine.
But this is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
For the last time.

What can I even say about this book that is eloquent enough to express what a masterpiece this is? I buddy-read this book, which forced me to read it slower than I probably would have otherwise, but this book took over my brain for a couple of weeks. I had so much fun trying to figure out where everything was headed and how this world worked, and I'm not even mad I was right about some of it, because it was masterfully done. The writing hooked me from the very beginning as well; even the second person perspective that so many people seem to dislike didn't bother me at all.

One of the things I did have to get used to is to trust that the author would, eventually, explain everything. I spent the first few chapters very confused by all the new terms that aren't immediately explained, so if you find yourself having a similar experience, don't worry: she'll get to it a bit later.

"Orogenes have no right to say no. I am your Guardian. I will break every bone in your hand, every bone in your body, if I deem it necessary to make the world safe from you."

Every perspective and every chapter layers on top of the one before to really flesh out the world, in a way that feels organic instead of like an infodump. We're introduced to the idea of Orogenes and the kind of magic they have, the Guardians that watch them to make sure they don't hurt anyone, the racism Orogenes face in this world, and the concept of a Fifth Season full of calamities that can last many years. And then the book takes its time slowly giving us more information about each of these as we progress through the story. The societal structure is fascinating to me, and I really liked that I got to see it from three different perspectives.

There are a couple of interludes that feel explicitly like a tease. They pose questions that make you think about the world beyond the parts the author is showing us, and when I finally got the answer to some of them, my reaction was, "damn it, I should've known!" That's exactly the kind of reading experience I want, and I can't wait to continue in the series. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Child death

Minor: Sexual assault

natalie1227's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I gave this book 4 stars mostly because I had a hard time getting into the story and the writing. It was beautifully written but for someone with ADHD it was a difficult read. The one perspective was written like the character was thinking in third person and that made it difficult for me. This might be a book I try again and read instead of listen to.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Murder